Loose-leaf binder.



PATENTBD MAR. 6, 1906.

W. M. WHBILDON. LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

uruoumn FILED snrrm, 1905.

UNITED STATES r 'rENT OFFIGE.

ASSIGNOR OF OF BOSTON, MASSAGE USETTS,

0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LOOSE-LEAF alum-:9.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 6, 1906.

Application filed September 2'1, 1905. atrial Ho- 280,262.

To a]! when if "my concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MAXWELL \Vnmnnou, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in LooseLeafBinders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of loose-leaf binders forloose-leaf lodgers, memorandum-'booksnnd the like and it consists insundry im rovements herein to be described.

In the rawings hereto annexed, Fi re 1 is a perspective view of aloose-leaf inder and supporting-bar. Fig. 2 is a modification of theconstruction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows in erspective aretaining-clip for the binder. Fig. 4 shows in cross-section theretaining-clip and binder assembled.

A preferred form of binde. is illustrated in Fig. 1, and this consistsof a flat bar A, of sheet-metal, from which are-cut and bent upward theintegral fin ers a, which are are ed over so as to nearly ut not qixitemeet each other above the bar A. The gers a are in process of cuttingthe blank from which the inder is made out with beveled ends, so thatwhen these ends are approached in the act of bending up the fingers athere remains between their 0 osed extremities a diagonal open slot at.he fingers aare made 0 enerous width, so that t e diagonal slot a s alloccupy a considerable portion of the width of the top of the binder,measured transversely of the bar Al The sheets B are provided with slots1), these slots being s aced apart to corres ond with the distancebetween the pairs of ri ers a measured lengthwise of the or orbaclbplate A. In order to insert the sheet B, it is bent so as to beinserted between the fingers a a of both pairs until the slots 1; in theaper come opposite to the finers c',whent e sheet is allowed tostraighten itself, andthus to intersect the slots or s aces a, in whichgosition it cannot be with awn from the bin er unless it is torn.

Any desired number of sheets may be attached to the binder in the mannerdescribed, and any sheet, whether at the end or in the middle of aseries, may be withdrawn or inserted at will.

Another form of binder is shown in 2, wherein the blank is cut to formaback-p ate A, asbefore, but only a sin lefinger a ,Where in theinstance shown in Fig. 1 there was a pan. In Fig. 2 finger a. is cut ofsufficient ength to extend when arched up across and down, so that itsfree end lies, preferably, a little below the lane of the top surface ofthc back-plate A, w 'ch is cut away, as at A, to ggrnnt the dc ressionof the free ends of the gels a. e sheet B is introduced into the binderin this case by being slip ed under the free ends of the fingers a so tat the slots b may embrace the fingers. Obviously the binder-plate madein this form will permit the insertion of loose leaves only at one s deof the mass of leaves or their removal in similar manner.

In Fi 3 I show the clip wherewith a b nder-p ate or back may beattached, if desired, and secured between rotective covers. The clipconsists of a c annel of sheet metal,which may be sl' htly rounded atthe central ortion ,the si cs 0 0 being curved over to orm the channel.Points C may, if desired, be struck out of the central portion tofacilitate attachment of the channel-plate to a cover, as D.

B reference to Fig. 4 the manner in which the inder-plates are securedto the clip is made clear. The backplate A is cut in at the sides at a",so that when the fin are a. are bent upward the edge of the back-p ate Aextends a little beyond the outer surface of the fingers a Thus, asshown in Fig. 4, when the plate A, which is made of such size as to litthe clip or channel C C, is slid into said clip endwise the edges of thebar or late A are engaged by the inturned edges C of the clip and areretained thereby, the fingers a projecting above the clip, so as tofacilitate the tur and handling of the leaves B held by the bin er.

Either of the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be used with aretaining-clip such as shown in Fig. 3. J

The loose-leaf binder above described pro vides in a single integralstructure a simple and effective binder from which all the structuraland operative complications incident to articulated andreciprocally-movable parts are eliminated. The gist of the improvement,whether embodied in the form shown in Fig. 1 or embodied in the formshown in Fig. 2, consists in the plate having a rigid'arch securedthereto and refer-ably integral therewith, the said arch out so as toform a near] but not uite closed loop, the adjacent terminals of tieloop being so carried past each other or overlap ed that the terminalsguard. each other, so t at a flat leaf cannot esca e from retention bythe loo In other words, a leaf must be bent out ol its normal plane inorder either to be inserted in or removed from the binder. Thus in Fig.1 the terminals of the loop directly above the late A approach but donot touch each 0t er and are beveled, so that a fiat leaf can findneither entrance nor exit, the beveling of the terminals of the looaffording the simple retaining means. In i 2 also the loo or arch isbent downwar on the open si e, so that it terminates well below theplane of the u I per surface of the backlate, and in this orm' also theterminals 0 the nearly-closed loop reciprocally guard each other toprevent the esca e of a fiat leaf.

at I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A loose-leaf binder consisting of a plate havin a leaf-holding archportion rigid therewith, bent so as near] a closed loop, the ad acentterminals of the loop reciprocally uarding each other to prevent theesca e ol a flat leaf therefrom.

2. A looseeaf binder, consisting of a plate having fingers rigidtherewith, bent upward and inward so as nearly but not quite to meetabove the plate, the adjacent terminals of the fingers reciprocallyguardin each other to prevent the escape of a flat lea there- 3. Aloose-leaf binder consisting of a plate having fingers rigid therewith,bent upward and inward so as nearly but not quite to meet above thelate, the adjacent terminals of the fin ers being beveled, to form anopen slot angu arly transverse to the center line of the plate.

Signed by me at Boston, Massacnusetts, this 22d day of September, 1905.

WILLIAM MAXWELL WHEILDUN.

Witnesses:

ODIN ROBERTS, JOSEPH T. BRENNAN.

but not quite to form

